Blue Knot Orange County Hosts Kick Off Event at Jewish Federation; Jewish Tech Initiative Debuts to Focus on Professional Development.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Blue Knot, a Jewish technology initiative, will debut in Orange County with a networking event at the Samueli Jewish Campus of the Jewish Federation in Irvine on July 26 at 6 p.m.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other technology professionals, hear what's hot in the Israeli tech sector, and meet Israeli high-tech executives in both informal and formal question-and-answer sessions.

The three co-chairs of the $25 event, Bart Greenberg, Arie Shen and Ellia Kassoff, noted that Blue Knot: The Jewish Tech Initiative is the United Jewish Communities (UJC) Federation system's strategic response to the reality that there is a community of Jewish people involved in the technology sector -- with technology being allowed the broadest of definitions. It enables Jewish communities to bring people engaged in the tech arena together to exchange ideas and experiences, connecting them to each other and to the Jewish community around them.

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Arie Shen (Hummingbird) has over 20 years of experience in the information technology industry with particular attention to software sales and distribution. He has maintained a leadership role in the sales and management of large-scale projects and the implementation of significant professional service delivery programs for Fortune 100 companies.

Bart Greenberg (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP) practices general corporate law with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and the cost-effective representation of entrepreneurs, startups and emerging technology companies.

Ellia Kassoff (Strategic Software Resources Inc.), a local co-founder of Blue Knot OC, is originally from Palm Springs, Calif., and got the volunteering bug while attending Boston University's School of Management. He was very active at Boston University Hillel and later helped to develop the Jewish high-tech group in Boston called CJP Computer Group (part of Combined Jewish Philanthropies).

Blue Knot committee members include Eyal Aronoff (Quest Software, retired); Zach Cohen (First American Title Insurance); Robby Lazar; Andy Markowitz (Netreo); Howard Mirowitz (investor and consultant); Ron Moskowitz (County of Orange Health Care Agency); Marshal H. Perlman (Panasonic Avionics Corp.); Michael Reznick (Tripwire Inc.); Arnon Tuval (Orbotech Inc.); Uzi Yair (GTB Technologies); Hadar Ziv (University of California Irvine); and Alan Zwiren (IBM).

Blue Knot, the Jewish Tech Initiative, is an organization focused on professional development. With relevant speakers, networking opportunities, and information about emerging trends, Blue Knot exists to address the specific needs of high-technology professionals. Blue Knot Orange County sponsors are Business Wire, Daly-Swartz PR and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

For further information, contact Jackie Menter, Jewish Federation of Orange County, 1 Federation Way, Suite 210, Irvine, CA 92603, 949-435-3484, ext. 335, fax [phone], e-mail [e-mail] or access http://www.blueknotoc.org.